by J. C. Diem
As the night wore on, the boost that Ava’s blood had given me began to wear off. My zombies had acted as a battery for the vengeful ghosts, but their strength was beginning to fail again. The vampires would have to retreat before dawn, which wasn’t far away now. We’d managed to hold our own, but we couldn’t sustain the fight forever. I had to find a way to end this before the never ending flood of demons overwhelmed my troops.
Catching a glimmer of scarlet eyes, I saw the Demon Lord and Kurt standing on a building a short distance away. Wringing his hands in worry, the half-faery stood two paces behind the demon. He’d lost control of his ally and he didn’t know how to regain the upper hand. The tables had been turned and Jorgen had become the sidekick now.
He’d mistakenly thought he was clever enough to make a deal with a devil and not have it explode in his face. If he knew anything about their kind at all, he should have known that they were nearly impossible to control. Just ask the witch who had summoned the Demon Lord four hundred years ago. It took an incredible amount of mental strength to bind a demon to your will. I didn’t know anyone alive who had that kind of fortitude.
Struck with an epiphany, I stood poised on the edge of a crucial moment. I turned to Mark, but he and Ava were preoccupied by a small group of lesser demons. Reece was deep in battle and couldn’t spare a moment to talk me through the crazy idea that had just come to me. Kala, Flynn and Sabine had the hydra golem surrounded and were working with my ghosts and zombies to take it down.
I saw my father finish beheading an imp with his claws and sprinted over to him before he could become embroiled in another fight. Taking him by the hand, I transported us back to where we’d left our gear. Grabbing his backpack out of the pile, I took a deep breath then mentally crossed my fingers that this idea wasn’t as insane as it seemed.
Then I abandoned my friends and allies and fled from the battle.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Concentrating hard, the destination that I had in mind was a place I’d been taken to against my will by Kurt Jorgen. I wasn’t even sure it was possible to travel that far via the zombie highway, but I had to try.
We sank into the ground and surfaced in the cemetery that I suspected was half a world away. It was already daylight here and a low fog swirled around our feet. Compared to the cacophony that we’d just left, the cemetery was shockingly quiet.
Delving into my father’s mind, I forced him to change back to his human form. His cougar was reluctant to relinquish his supremacy, but he complied to my will. My dad blinked at the weak overcast sky and graves that surrounded us, then looked at me in bewilderment. “Where are we?”
“I’m pretty sure we’re in England.”
I handed him his backpack and he took some clothes out and dressed. “What are we doing here? Shouldn’t we be fighting the demons?”
“There’s no point. The Demon Lord will just bring them back again. We can’t win this war by going head to head with him.”
Well acquainted with military tactics, he didn’t bother to argue with me. He knew we were in a losing battle. “Why did you bring us here?”
Now that we were here, I was beginning to think it was a bad decision. “I’m not sure.”
Don’t doubt yourself, Reece said. His thought was faint with distance, but his confidence in me came through loud and clear. Trust your instincts. It’s your destiny to save the world and I know that you will find a way.
“Go with your gut,” my dad said, unaware that he was echoing Reece. “You wouldn’t have left our friends and allies without good reason.”
The calm confidence from the two most important men in my life settled my nerves. Following my instincts, I walked towards the grave that had called to me so strongly the last time I’d been here.
Finding the weathered tombstone, I wiped the lichen away to reveal the name that I’d both hoped and dreaded to see. It felt sacrilegious to even contemplate what I was about to do, but I had no choice. This was my last desperate hope.
My hands were shaking as I raked my fingernails down my left wrist. I sent a wordless glance at my father and he stepped up beside me and did the same. Our blood mingled as it dripped onto the ancient grave. All around us, long dead corpses that had turned to dust stirred expectantly as I gathered my death magic. A sigh seemed to go out as I sent it into the ground. I sensed that they wanted me to bring them back so they could all join our fight.
Green fog swirled to life, pushing the natural fog away. “Rise!” I commanded. Flesh and bone that had decayed away to nothing four long centuries ago became whole again. A man rose out of the soil to stand before us. In his prime, he was perfectly formed. Six foot two, he had high cheekbones, shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes. He was even more handsome than I’d expected. I sensed a flicker of jealousy come from Reece at that thought, then it was gone.
For a long moment, the newly risen dead man’s eyes remained blank. Then they cleared and focused on me with sharp intelligence. “Necromancer,” he said with distaste. His gaze sharpened when he realized I was more than that. “I sense that thou art also a shape shifter and a vampire.” His expression turned bleak and I flinched at what he said next. “Thou art an abomination worse than any other monster that I have ever encountered. Foulest of creatures, why hast thou wrested me from death’s cold embrace?”
Torn between being star-struck and wounded by his harsh judgement of my character, I stared at him mutely.
“Who is he?” my father asked.
“My name is Thomas,” he replied without taking his eyes from me.
“Thomas as in the founder of the PIA?” my dad said incredulously.
I managed a nod, hardly able to believe that I was standing in front of a legend and that I had just brought him back to a semblance of life. His ye olde English wasn’t easy to understand, but being linked to his mind helped me to translate his words.
Clearing my throat, I finally regained my ability to speak. “My name is Alexis. I wouldn’t have brought you back unless I had dire need.” I didn’t know why I’d given him my full name. Lexi just didn’t seem formal enough for someone as famous as he was. “I know you think I’m evil beyond redemption, but I need your help to save humanity from being destroyed.”
Instead of responding to my plea, Thomas turned to my father. “I sense that thou art my kin, yet thou has the blood of a ravenous shape shifter in your veins. Hast my lineage really fallen so low?”
“What do you mean he’s your kin?” I asked in confusion.
“Is thy surname not Levine?” Thomas asked. My father nodded numbly. He knew little about Thomas, but there was a definite resemblance between them. The priest turned and swept his hand across the rest of the lichen on the tombstone to reveal his full name: Thomas Levine. I assumed his surname had been stricken from his journal to prevent necromancers from tracking him down and resurrecting him like I had.
“Not all shape shifters are evil,” I said to Thomas. “They only turn rogue if they eat human flesh. Generally, we behave ourselves and stay under the radar.” He remained skeptical, so I opened my mind to him. “See for yourself.”
He accepted my invitation and rummaged through my memories. He saw everything that had happened to me since I’d become a member of the Track and Kill Squad and his expression turned thoughtful. “I see that I owe thee an apology,” he said and bowed. “Although thou hast become most monstrous, thy heart hast remained pure.”
My heart instantly lifted at his change of opinion. The most honorable person in the PIA’s entire history had decided that I wasn’t evil. The last shred of worry that I’d harbored for the state of my soul evaporated. “Thank you,” I said with heartfelt gratitude.
He gave me a brief smile then became serious again. The addition of Ava’s blood in my veins had given him far more ability to feel emotion than a normal zombie. “So, the dread Demon Lord has been summoned again,” he said with a shudder. “Long didst I suffer nightmares from
my encounter with that fiend.”
“You defeated him once,” I said. “You’re the only one who can banish him back to hell so we can have a chance of stopping this war.” Kurt Jorgen would still remain, but at least he wouldn’t be able to call up the demons again. Or so I hoped.
He shook his head, shattering my hope. “It was my faith in God that allowed me to drive the creature back to his fiery abode. My soul hast fled from my body and I now lack the power to defeat evil. This vessel is but an empty shell.” He gestured at his body hopelessly.
“Maybe it doesn’t have to stay empty,” my father said. “Is your soul still here?”
Thomas inclined his head. “I can sense it hovering nearby.”
My father looked at me and I didn’t need to be able to read his mind to know what he was thinking. “No way. It isn’t possible.” Even if it were possible, it would be wrong.
“It worked for Zeus,” he reminded me.
“Only because he’d been dead for just a few minutes. Thomas died four centuries ago. I can’t bind his soul back inside his body now.” He’d have his human intelligence back, but he’d be undead forever. The idea was too hideous to contemplate. If I hadn’t loved Zeus so much, I’d never have bound him to a semblance of life as I had.
“Look at his tombstone,” my father said. “What does it say?”
My eyes dropped to the epitaph beneath Thomas’ name. “It says ‘Warrior of God’,” I read out loud.
“You were chosen by Fate, but Thomas was chosen by God himself. This is his destiny. This is why he was born. You were given the power to bring him back when the world needed him the most.”
I looked into two pairs of blue eyes that were virtually identical. “I’ll try,” I said heavily, “but I’m not sure it will work.”
Altering my perception, I saw ghosts all over the cemetery. A faded, insubstantial image of Thomas stood next to his body. The ghost, that was actually a trapped soul, was looking at his former self sadly. He turned to me with trepidation. “I’m going to try to bind you with your body,” I said.
“I hast foreseen what will come of this world if I fail to consent to your wish,” the soul replied in a hollow voice. “I give thee permission to attempt this travesty.”
Calling on my necromancer, I wrapped my death magic around him, feeding him my strength as I forced his spirit back inside his body. I heard a click then Thomas blinked as his vision steadied. He looked down at his hands in wonder then touched his unmoving chest. “Thou hast reunited my soul with this vessel,” he said. “I fear this dread union shall not last long. Let us make haste to confront my old enemy.”
“Take these,” my dad said and took some clothes out of his backpack.
“I thank thee, kinsman,” Thomas said with a bow. “I admit, the thought of going into battle unclothed didst not fill me with joy.”
I was pretty sure Kala would have gotten a kick out of seeing Thomas buck naked, but I doubted my father would have appreciated her reaction.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty-Nine
We travelled back to Los Angeles and directly into the midst of battle. The city lay in ruins. Most of the population had either been killed, eaten or had fled. The leviathan sized demons were currently wrecking the buildings out of sheer pleasure, but all six golems were attacking my army in force.
Hordes of smaller black skinned demons were ripping my zombies apart, while the shifters and vampires hunted them in turn. The remaining birds, animals and spiders had been dismissed once more now that the population had been decimated. Zeus had hunted down the hell hounds, but more were already emerging from the pits.
To my astonishment, I saw humans now fighting among my army. All wore black uniforms and carried weapons that were identical to ours. Looking around, I spied Cromby standing on the roof of an SUV. Wearing tactical gear, he was almost unrecognizable. I’d been wrong when I thought he’d fled to safety. He’d rallied his troops and the entire US branch of the PIA had joined the battle. Thousands of men and women had come at his call.
A small group of robed men and women stood near our leader. Each one wore a look of concentration as they cast various spells that tore through our enemies. One of them had to be the warlock who had protected our headquarters with wards.
Overseeing his troops, Cromby raised a radio to his mouth and issued an order. Dozens of his agents broke away from the battle to engage a new leviathan as it lumbered out of a hell pit.
Clearly terrified, the agents surrounded it and opened fire. Instead of carrying assault rifles, they were armed with grenade launchers. Targeting its legs, they blasted the limbs apart, felling the monster. Once it was down, they aimed at its horned head. Its bellows of pain and fury didn’t last long beneath the barrage of powerful explosives.
Mark nodded at Cromby in respect and received a fierce grin from his boss. This was what the agency had been training for. They weren’t prepared to stand back and let the world end without doing their part to stop the apocalypse.
Kurt and the Demon Lord stood on the fringes of the battle, watching on with satisfaction. Despite our efforts, it was obvious that we weren’t going to win. The cloud of black souls from imps that had been torn apart was dense enough to hide us from view. They didn’t see us approaching until we were a hundred yards away. The demon turned, saw Thomas and froze. “Impossible!” he hissed. “You died four centuries ago!”
“Yet here I stand before thee,” Thomas said and spread his hands wide. “Whole of mind and sound of body.” My friends gathered around and I sensed their wish to be transformed back into their human forms. It wasn’t natural for them to leave their wereforms, but their beasts understood the importance of this moment. I sent a couple of zombies to get their things. They returned just as my friends assumed their human forms.
Kurt studied Thomas through narrowed eyes, ignoring my friends as they dressed. “You bound a zombie’s soul back into his body,” he said to me. “I’m impressed, but what possible purpose is that going to serve?”
“Don’t you recognize him?” I said. “I guess it has been a while since you saw him last. Allow me to reintroduce you. Kurt Jorgen, meet Thomas, the priest who created the Paranormal Investigation Agency.”
Kurt’s already pale face went waxy in shock. “No,” he whispered as he understood why I’d brought Thomas here. His carefully planned attack on the world was about to be derailed.
Mark’s mouth dropped open and Kala’s eyes went round as they realized who he was. Flynn looked from my father to Thomas and back again. His senses told him that the pair were related, but I didn’t have time to explain their ties.
Thomas focused exclusively on the Demon Lord. His voice was full of power and confidence when he spoke. “Thou art not welcome in this plane of existence. Return to the fiery dominion from whenst thou came.”
Backing away, the gray demon looked around in desperation. “I will make you a deal, human,” he wheedled. “If you allow me to stay, I will restore you to true life instead of this temporary bond.”
“Save thy pitiful temptations for one with a weaker will,” Thomas said scornfully. All around us, the demons paused in what they were doing as their master shied away. His leathery wings wrapped around his body protectively as Thomas advanced on him. The priest barely came up to the creature’s collarbone, yet he almost seemed to tower over him. His power was vastly different from mine. Unlike my death magic, his was holy and pure and came from God himself.
“Get thee gone from this world, abomination!” Thomas ordered. His faith swelled and we were caught up in it. His belief in our creator was so strong that he made us believe as well. Joy welled inside everyone who was fighting for good rather than evil, adding our strength to his. “By the power of God, I command thee to be gone!” A hell pit opened up behind the Demon Lord at Thomas’ shout. He flinched away from the sheer power that was coming off Thomas. “I banish thee back to Hell, Baal!”
Knowing the demon’s true name gav
e the priest power over his enemy. Baal bared his teeth in impotent rage then turned to Kurt. “We had a bargain, halfling. You promised me your soul. If I am to be banished, then so shall you!”
Shouting a command at his minions, Baal was sucked backwards into the fiery pit. One of his leviathans reached out and snatched Kurt into its clawed hand. The faery shrieked as he was pulled into hell. He had time to glare at me in utter hatred before he disappeared from my view.
Other leviathans grasped hold of the golems and bore them into the portals, taking all of the pieces of his soul with them. Demons small and large were sucked to the pits. Wailing in despair, they followed their master down into banishment. The bodies of the fallen demons that hadn’t already broken down into sludge were drawn back to the pits as well.
When the final imp disappeared into the darkness, the portals closed. The silence was profound as my army realized that their enemies were gone. Then Aiden threw his head back and howled in fierce joy. His pack joined him and then every shifter in the city celebrated our victory. The bears roared, the cats screeched and the birds gave shrill, piercing cries. The rats, foxes and other shifters were more subdued, but they were just as joyful.
Cromby and his surviving agents gathered into a group. He made a speech, thanking them for their service and praising them for their courage. They’d been too distant to see who had banished the demons. They only knew that they were gone and that the danger was over.
It was now perilously close to dawn and my vampires were nervously watching the horizon. Tempted to let them fry, I couldn’t be certain that they wouldn’t be needed again one day. Before I return you to your hunting grounds, you will listen and obey, I said to them all. Glassy eyed, they turned to me, waiting for their instructions. You will no longer kill humans for food. Feed from animals whenever you can, but only drink enough to sustain yourselves. You are forbidden from killing any living creature, or from creating more of our kind. Waiting for their submissive nods, I sent them back to where they’d come from.
